(SPOT.ph) With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping us in our homes, theater-going has taken a completely different turn. Watching a musical nowadays means plopping onto your couch, turning on your laptop or mobile, and pressing play on your device. For most theater companies, this innovation is also an opportunity to raise funds for those affected by the quarantine. Resorts World Manila, Full House Theater Company, and ABS-CBN are now joining forces to bring the much-loved musical Ang Huling El Bimbo to our screens. The all-original Filipino musical told through songs by legendary band the Eraserheads goes live on May 8 at 12:01 a.m. It's available for 48 hours only on ABS-CBN Entertainment's YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Ang Huling El Bimbo was first staged in 2018, and enjoyed two sold-out reruns. Written by Dingdong Novenario and directed by Dexter Santos, it follows the story of three friends: Hector, Emman, and Anthony, who find themselves in an unlikely mini-reunion 20 years after their college graduation. Their younger selves are revealed in a slew of flashback scenes, starting from how they met in a dormitory at college to how they parted ways on the last day of school, and all the challenges they faced along the way.
The musical garnered 12 nominations at the 11th Philstage Gawad Buhay Awards for the Performing Arts. It won Outstanding Choreography for a Play or Musical and Outstanding Musical Direction.
While the online streaming is free, viewers are encouraged to donate to ABS-CBN Foundation's Pantawid ng Pag-ibig. This is for the benefit of families heavily affected by the quarantine that started in March.
Ang Huling El Bimbo is available online from May 8, 12:01 a.m. to May 9, 11:59 p.m. on ABS-CBN Entertainment's YouTube channel and Facebook page. For updates, follow Full House Theater Company on Facebook.
